so the rMBP dropped ethernet because it wouldn't fit, but does Ethernet have a future without RJ-45, wireless will never be able to truly supplant a wired connection, but with RJ-45 being such a large plug (and actually quite fragile) will it likely be replaced or will laptops eventually go without (not counting adaptors)
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Can Ethernet live on without RJ-45
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There's certainly no technical reason why an Ethernet port couldn't be made far smaller. Maybe Apple could have done that instead of removing it altogether. It would still have required an adapter initially but cables are cheap and it would have been fairly quick to get support from the many cable suppliers I imagine.
An RJ-45 connector is simply a known and recognized standard. There's no reason you couldn't have a Thunderbolt on on end and an RJ-45 on the other end of a cable.
All it takes is someone to develop a smaller connector and get it approved for adoption to make it "official." Though you don't have to do that.
As a point of reference, look at what has happened with SIM cards over the past couple of years.
I know it's more that doable but it just seems like no one is bothering to replace RJ-45 and if no one replaces it then Ethernet on laptops will die with it (aside from adapters)
RJ-45 is cheap and easy. Anyone can make an RJ-45 cable and it makes good sense to use them for a LAN infrastructure but more and more we are going away from wired connections which is why I imagine they didn't bother to try to make a smaller adapter/ethernet cable.
No one use internet cable any more, wifi all the way and save cable money.
Apple is the front runner of laptop development by dropping the internet connector, just watch all the copy cats will do the same next year.
Apple is the front runner of laptop development by dropping the internet connector, just watch all the copy cats will do the same next year.
No one? Really? I love to see the absolute statements that people make without actually thinking about them first.
Indeed. I imagine the millions of enterprise users around the world would be surprised to hear no-one uses Ethernet anymore
Indeed. I imagine the millions of enterprise users around the world would be surprised to hear no-one uses Ethernet anymore
I am surprised that I am no one and have been reduced to living in a state of limbo with inconsequential existence.
There is always the SDL-8 connector. (IBM used the SDL-6 connector on the Model M keyboards, for the keyboard end of the cable.)
Thinner, more secure locking, although it might be more expensive.
Thinner, more secure locking, although it might be more expensive.
agreed, there is no connection faster or more reliable than a wired one, which is why there needs to be a shrink of RJ-45 'cause it's just too big to live on modern laptops, and it could be a little more robust
don't know the SDL connector myself, but anything is likely better suited for the future than RJ-45
don't know the SDL connector myself, but anything is likely better suited for the future than RJ-45
Gigabit Ethernet is so 1998 anyway. I want 10 Gigabit affordable home switches. I'll take 2 please.
It seems that Apple has the answer with the $29 adapter. RJ-45 cables are cheap to make and you can customize them to any size. You start making cables with a new adapter, they won't be cheap to make and any random person won't be able to make them. It makes sense to switch to an adapter to 'shrink' them down.
Maybe, if you are lucky, you'd see random companies make an RJ-45 to thunderbolt cable but then you have the same issue you have now. You could misplace it, it'll be pricey, etc.
Maybe, if you are lucky, you'd see random companies make an RJ-45 to thunderbolt cable but then you have the same issue you have now. You could misplace it, it'll be pricey, etc.
Shouldn't be too far off really. We already have high speed wired technology in most homes. HDMI can go up to 15.8 Gbps now.
Hmm, comparing an SDL connector to various other connectors... it'll be too thick to fit the MBPR chassis.
The connector body itself is about as thick as a modular connector (the type used by Ethernet), but with no tab on top (instead, two tabs on the sides), so a port could be about 3/4 as thick.
This is what it looks like, FWIW: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sdl_plug800.jpg
It can be crimped like an existing ethernet cable, so ease of assembly would be the same.
A Thunderbolt ethernet cable is incredibly wasteful, as it needs a Thunderbolt controller as well as a PCIe ethernet controller chip, IIRC. The adapter is a better solution, there.
The connector body itself is about as thick as a modular connector (the type used by Ethernet), but with no tab on top (instead, two tabs on the sides), so a port could be about 3/4 as thick.
This is what it looks like, FWIW: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sdl_plug800.jpg
It can be crimped like an existing ethernet cable, so ease of assembly would be the same.
A Thunderbolt ethernet cable is incredibly wasteful, as it needs a Thunderbolt controller as well as a PCIe ethernet controller chip, IIRC. The adapter is a better solution, there.
Just remember Eternet is a standard not a connector. It existed In coaxial cable prior to the RJ-45. What manufactures decide to make in the future is anyone's guess.
Wireless ethernet is great however it is quite limited. You start to develop interference and bandwidth issues when you have too many wireless networks in a given space. Because of that, Ethernet is still very important to large corporations data centers and other areas that require lots of separate networks within the small given space.
Wireless ethernet is great however it is quite limited. You start to develop interference and bandwidth issues when you have too many wireless networks in a given space. Because of that, Ethernet is still very important to large corporations data centers and other areas that require lots of separate networks within the small given space.
that's why I said "wired" I didn't specify Ethernet, much less that it was only gigabit, I'm looking forward to 10G-E myself but it'll probably go fibre after 100G
I did have an idea recently though, add some fibre optic linkages into the magsafe connector and put some of the plugs on the power brick
So what's that ethernet cable doing coming out of the back of my Mac?
Wireless is OK for browsing the internet, but for serious LAN use the performance is nowhere near good enough.
On top of that, a lot of companies and government departments prohibit the use of wireless networks as they're not secure enough (I worked for one company that was so against wireless networks that they installed blockers in their offices)
there is already 10 gigabit ethernet (but it is very scarce) so even if wireless hits gigabit wired will be faster and wireless can never be reliable, there will ALWAYS be interference, for wired networking RJ-45 will have to die off it's just too bulky for modern laptops
yeh, that coaxial thing rings a bell and does give me some hope assuming the industry doesn't fear moving on to new technology like it does sometimes
And by then, wired connections will also have moved on, so wireless will never catch up if that's what you are suggesting.
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Indeed. We tried to replace one floor of our main building with just a wireless infrastructure, because some incoming MBA suit had read it was the future, and could be done right away. It could not (surprise!) and was a disaster. He is no longer with the company. People seem to think just because it works great at home and in Starbucks, wireless is all anyone needs.
You can make them secure but it can be costly. A lot of companies though are starting to weigh the cost vs benefit of wiring their buildings vs using a secure wireless setup.
So, there are the following copper 10 GbE standards:
10GBASE-CX4 - about the size of two 8P8C (what's commonly referred to as RJ-45) connectors side by side, so that's a no-go
SPF+ Direct Attach - ever so slightly smaller than 8P8C, and significantly more expensive (but it might be cheaper than CX4)
10GBASE-T - same ol' 8P8C as we're used to, defeating the purpose of finding a different copper 10 GbE standard.
10GBASE-CX4 - about the size of two 8P8C (what's commonly referred to as RJ-45) connectors side by side, so that's a no-go
SPF+ Direct Attach - ever so slightly smaller than 8P8C, and significantly more expensive (but it might be cheaper than CX4)
10GBASE-T - same ol' 8P8C as we're used to, defeating the purpose of finding a different copper 10 GbE standard.
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Indeed. We tried to replace one floor of our main building with just a wireless infrastructure, because some incoming MBA suit had read it was the future, and could be done right away. It could not (surprise!) and was a disaster. He is no longer with the company. People seem to think just because it works great at home and in Starbucks, wireless is all anyone needs.[/QUOTE]
even that is flawed, I have wifi at home, but when they replaced a transformer across the street after a big storm I had so much interference we had to spend over $2,000 on a new access point (a big 6 antenna Cisco thing) and now it works fairly well, but signal is sketchy up stairs so I still have ethernet to major points in the house, it's the perfect example of why wireless will never be the be-all and end-all
Indeed. We tried to replace one floor of our main building with just a wireless infrastructure, because some incoming MBA suit had read it was the future, and could be done right away. It could not (surprise!) and was a disaster. He is no longer with the company. People seem to think just because it works great at home and in Starbucks, wireless is all anyone needs.[/QUOTE]
even that is flawed, I have wifi at home, but when they replaced a transformer across the street after a big storm I had so much interference we had to spend over $2,000 on a new access point (a big 6 antenna Cisco thing) and now it works fairly well, but signal is sketchy up stairs so I still have ethernet to major points in the house, it's the perfect example of why wireless will never be the be-all and end-all